Having written about my own race experience and feelings before, during and after Underground Run Club's Spiral 6 hour race I wanted to write a more general (and shorter) blog reviewing the race.
The Underground Run Club:
I love the ethos of this club. No fuss, no glitz and glamour, no crowds, no hype. Just a small bunch of lovely people running together. I really don't like crowds and, having experienced some big races, hate the circus that can surround them. At the end of the day it's just running- no one's a hero or superior just because they did some running.
Practicalities:
It was easy to get to on public transport and, for those who did drive, there was parking nearby. I loved the midday start because I didn't need to get up stupid early, the trains had properly got going and, because I wasn't worried about missing a ridiculously early alarm, I slept ok the night before. Not brilliant, but at least it wasn't one of those nights when you wake every hour or so to check the time in case of oversleeping.
For female runners it's a particularly manageable event. The later start means that if you need to arrange childcare you're not imposing on someone to have your children from stupid o'clock in the morning or from the night before. If your children are of a sensible age they could even come with you as they'd be quite safe at the venue (but I'm not 100% sure on the club's rules so you would need to check that you could leave them trackside while you run). There's no need to worry about being on your own somewhere strange- sometimes trail races can leave you feeling a bit vulnerable if you're on your own (see what happened to me on loops 5 and 8 (?) of the Copthorne 100). And, there are toilets! I've run lovely races but quite often you waste a lot of energy on watching out for suitable discreet places to have a wee or manage your period. Admittedly, at the Parliament Hill Fields Track the toilets are up two short stretches of steps (about 5 or 6 each) which is really no fun after several hours of running, but at least you can go for a wee in peace and not worry about accidently mooning anyone!
You get your drop bag every 400 metres. Everything you need is to hand and if you're undecided about kit, snacks, fluids you can bring it all and leave it by the track to take whenever you want. This could encourage faffing, but it does also give you peace of mind. I can imagine it would be particularly beneficial if the weather was bad- you could change into warm, dry kit as often as you wanted.
Running experience:
It's a fantastic opportunity for any runner. You can turn up and run-walk all the way, run for a bit then take as long a break as you need then get back to running, you can push hard and try to run a PB for a distance, or you can just keep going and going at whatever speed is right for you. There were people running their first marafun distance, some going from a previous longest distance of half-marafun to their first 50k. Some were just there to see what would happen on the day. I think the lack of pressure meant that many people achieved more than they imagined they could.
Whilst you might think that endless laps of a track is a real messer-upper of the head, I think it makes it a more mentally manageable event. The idea of running x amount of miles point to point can feel really daunting whereas here you just keep moving until you can't/don't want to/ have to stop.
Seeing everyone so frequently during the race was lovely. Everyone offered encouragement to each other and that's something that is often missing from big events. It made for a unique atmosphere and I know I came away from the race feeling better for having experienced such camaraderie. These days so many of us feel isolated, or worn down by how tough life or work can be, and although it might sound trite, it was spiritually enriching to be in this little bubble of kindness.
Volunteers:
A great bunch of volunteers. They would make up your bottle of electrolytes or carbs and hold it out for you to grab at the start of a lap. They were always offering gels or snacks. At the end they even offered hugs despite me being a sweaty, snotty mess by then. I loved the impromptu singing through the megaphone- excellent effort with the Kate Bush song!
Race bling:
These days I'm really not bothered about medals and such like and am long past the days when I would be tempted to run a race just because I liked the medal. But the Spiral medals are very handsome- quite different to any other medals I've seen. And I did treat myself to a limited edition Spiral t-shirt because I liked the idea of having a proper t-shirt I can wear rather than yet another flimsy 'technical' tee that never fits me anyway.
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| Limited edition Spiral t-shirt |
Everyone got a polaroid photo from before the race. I've seen lots of lovely comments about that, but I look terrible in my photo (my fault, not the photographer's!).
I don't know what the plans are for future races, but it was awesome to get a custom vinyl cover for my winner's prize. Trophies are nice (not that I've won many of those!) but this is something I can frame and keep as a piece of artwork.
Summary:
If I had to give a rating out of ten for this race it would definitely be 10/10.
Awesome event, put on by an awesome bunch of people. Thank you!
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